Passion for People Drives Madison School of Healthcare RN-BSN Student

Passion for people. It's a trait that is central to being a nurse. For Madison School of Healthcare RN-BSN student May MacDowall, it is the exact thing that drove her to join the healthcare field in the first place. "I have a passion for people, and I enjoy science. So, it was a perfect mix," explained May.

Throughout her 30 plus years as a registered nurse (RN), May has infused that passion into everything she does. That approach has paid off in a career in disability case management that she loves. Everyday, May gets to work with rehabilitation professionals and employers in the Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, area to facilitate rehabilitation programs for injured employees. She loves her career so much that she wants to do everything she can to keep doing it.

So, when May learned that more and more states are requiring RNs like her to earn their bachelor's in nursing (BSN), she started looking for a program.

Before choosing an RN-BSN program, she did a lot of research. May had a checklist of criteria she was searching for: quality, flexibility and affordability. Plus, May planned to work during her program, and she needed to take care of her family. She knew that if she were going to go back to college to earn her BSN, she'd need a program that allowed her to move at her own pace, while still offering support. Enter the Madison School of Healthcare.

May says the Madison School of Healthcare met all her requirements and then some. In addition to finding an online program where she could study when it fit her schedule, the school offered tuition payment plans that fit her budget and a well-qualified and supportive staff. Then was the icing on the cake.

"I was very impressed that an RN called me. It was the only program of the many I looked into where that happened," May recalled.

May is a year into her program now, and it's going well. She's getting the guidance she needs from the Madison School of Healthcare team and feels great about earning a credential that adds to her job security. The one challenge for May has been time. "Time is the biggest barrier when you are still working fulltime and have a family at home."

But, May is learning how to balance all she has to do and makes sure that she sets aside chunks of her week for school work.

Learning how to set aside time is also something she says that she applies to all parts of her life. The best advice May said she could offer to RNs who are considering going back to college for a BSN is "set aside time not only for yourself personally, but also professionally. Strive to be the very best you can be professionally for those that we serve."

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